REGGIE AGGARWAL, FOUNDER and CEO of Cvent, is the 2025 Hospitality Executive of the Year by the Penn State School of Hospitality Management in the College of Health and Human Development and the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society. He will receive the award on April 8 at the PSHRS Industry Awards and Reception at the Nittany Lion Inn at Penn State University.
Aggarwal called the recognition a “tremendous honor.”
“The hospitality industry is the backbone of creating memorable experiences and successful events, and Penn State’s esteemed program has consistently been a cornerstone in nurturing new talent and fresh perspectives,” he said. “Bringing people together is at the heart of what we do at Cvent, and we’re proud to contribute to an industry rooted in service and genuine human connection. Thank you to the Penn State School of Hospitality Management and PSHRS for recognizing our incredible team and the impact they’ve made over the last 25 years.”
Aggarwal founded Cvent in 1999 to simplify meeting planning for the business community. Since then, Cvent has been integrated into millions of virtual, in-person, and hybrid events for thousands of organizations, including half of the Fortune 500.
Under Aggarwal’s leadership, Cvent has grown to more than 4,800 employees and 22,000 customers globally. In June 2023, it was acquired by Blackstone for $4.6 billion and became a private company.
“Our hospitality management majors at Penn State, and especially our students pursuing the entrepreneurship and innovation minor, are inspired by Reggie’s ability to see an opportunity, create a solution to an industry problem and steward that solution into a global, thriving company,” said Donna Quadri-Felitti, Penn State School of Hospitality Management’s Marvin Ashner endowed director. “He is not only a megastar to those students, but an example our faculty use across our curriculum about the value of tech-enabled, stakeholder-focused hospitality enterprises, led by visionaries like Reggie.”
Tom Neely, PSHRS president and Thomas Strauss president and CEO, said PSHRS remains energized by the caliber of hospitality industry icons drawn to the School of Hospitality Management.
“Reggie, as an entrepreneur, is a most excellent example of our industry’s acceptance of new ideas that facilitate new opportunities that truly move to help our industry be better,” he said. “For over 60 years, we have been honoring those who have elevated our industry to new heights, and Reggie will be a wonderful addition to this pantheon of professionals considered to be some of the greatest in hospitality management.”
Mit Shah, founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, was named the 2023 Hospitality Executive of the Year by the Penn State School of Hospitality Management and the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society.
